KB Schmiedetechnik GmbH - a Drop Forge in Germany

I’m Thomas Henneke, CEO of KB Schmiedetechnik – your small but highly certified drop forge in Western Germany, and this is our new blog!

I am a graduate mathematician with a focus on complex analysis and differential geometry, having studied both mathematics and physics.

My academic expertise includes quantum mechanics, solid-state physics, geometric probabilities, and multifractal geometry. Additionally, I have worked as a research associate in RFID technology and have obtained an additional qualification as a secondary school teacher.

In 2010, I returned to KB as Technical Managing Director and co-partner, where my journey began many years earlier as a student trainee and later as a CAD Engineer, gaining initial industrial experience. KB is a member of the German Forging Association (IMU), where I serve on its advisory board.

As of October 2024, I became the owner of this domain here to strengthen our global presence and share valuable insights. You can also find further photos on 👉Pinterest.

The forge KB specialises in:

High-Corrosion Resistant Materials for Harsh Environments

Forgings for Pressure Equipment and Nuclear Technology

Grain-Flow Optimised Forgings for Critical Applications

Customers and Industries

Our customers mainly come from the following three sectors:

1. Chemical and Energy Industry

We manufacture parts for industrial valves, boilers, and pipeline construction. This includes various valve components such as bodies or housings, corresponding yokes, pipe connectors, boiler caps, manifolds, and special flanges for a diverse range of industries.

This includes both nuclear and coal-fired power plants, chemical processes, fertiliser and food production, seawater desalination, molten salt applications (such as solar thermal plants), hydrogen solutions—and essential cooling!

The latter encompasses forged components made from certain nickel alloys for ultra-low temperature applications, such as cryogenics. There is a separate article about this here: F316L.

2. Mechanical Engineering and Environmental Technology

We offer a wide array of machine components and parts specifically designed for environmental technology. Our offerings include critical components for wind turbines, waste disposal technology, and shredding systems.

Our forgings encompass a broad spectrum of mechanical parts, including transmission and hydraulic components and towing equipment for agricultural, forestry, and heavy machinery.

3. Commercial Vehicles, Marine and Lifting Suppliers

We provide essential components for industrial trucks, wagons, and shipbuilding.

Furthermore, we produce grain-flow optimised components specifically designed for special vehicles and are a trusted supplier to the material handling and lifting equipment industry, producing high-grade components with a unit weight of up to 130 kg.

This includes forgings for rigging solutions for military and civilian ships, such as forged chain links, eyelets, and hooks.

Made in Germany of  European Quality Steel

At KB Schmiedetechnik (History), we prioritise environmental responsibility by minimising our ecological footprint. Our processes are designed to reduce waste and energy consumption, contributing to a safer planet. We support our customers' eco-friendly initiatives by providing products that comply with strict environmental standards.

At a Glance

ISO 9001 certification since 1992

ISO 14001 certification since 2016

Just under 100 employees

Unit weight up to 130kg

Low-volume production

Decades of experience in forgings for pressure equipment (PED) and boiler components, complying with specifications according to Alstom, ASME, Babcock, CNIM, MHPE, and others.

Die neusten Pressemitteilungen auf Deutsch erscheinen in dieser Spalte, weitere unter Inhalt (DE).

Das Neuste steht immer hier oben.

Gesenkschmiedeteile aus Stahl, Nickel und Titan

Titanlegierungen sind nicht nur in der 🚀 Luft- und Raumfahrt, der Medizintechnik und der ⚗️ Chemie- und Prozessindustrie gefragt, sondern auch in der ⚓ Marinetechnik und Offshore-Technologie. Ihre exzellente Korrosionsbeständigkeit, hohe spezifische Festigkeit, hervorragende Biokompatibilität und Beständigkeit gegenüber Meerwasser und Säuren machen sie zu unverzichtbaren Hochleistungswerkstoffen.

Doch was unterscheidet Titanlegierungen von Nickelbasis-legierungen wie Monel® 400 oder hochlegierten Edelstählen wie F316L (1.4404, 1.4435, 1.4571)?

Spoiler: „Korrosions-Preis-Chart” – F316 < Monel® < Titan – Titan wiegt aber nur die Hälfte!

Hebetechnik: Warum geschmiedete Haken und Ösen unverzichtbar sind

Hebezeuge, wie geschmiedete Haken, Ketten und Ösen, gehören zu den wichtigsten Schmiedeteilen außerhalb des Fahrzeug- und Maschinenbaus, den sonst größten Märkten für Gesenkschmiedeteile. Sie spielen eine zentrale Rolle in der Logistik – sei es beim Transport von schweren Lasten oder beim Sichern von Gütern in Verbindung mit entsprechenden Zurrpunkten. Diese Teile müssen höchsten mechanischen Belastungen standhalten und sind durch Gussteile oder andere Fertigungsverfahren kaum ersetzbar.

Die sieben größten Brauereikonzerne und Trends

Dieser Beitrag gibt einen Einblick in die Struktur des globalen Biermarktes, betrachtet aus der Perspektive eines Hobbykochs und Zulieferers der Chemie- und Lebensmittelindustrie, einschließlich Brauereitechnik wie Ventilkomponenten, Rohrverbindungen und Kesselteilen aus Edelstahl.

KB specializes in the small series production of safety-critical closed-die forgings, ranging from 200 g to 130 kg in unit weight, using all steel grades, including duplex stainless steels, nickel-based superalloys, and even titanium.

Depth of Manufacturing

All production processes are carried out in-house, including CAD design, tool construction, closed-die forging, heat treatment, hardening, CNC machining, as well as testing and surface inspection in our own lab.

We process all types of steel, including carbon, alloyed, duplex, as well as nickel-based alloys and titanium.

For 20 years, we have been helping our customers optimize forgings through material flow simulation. We advise on transitioning from assemblies, such as welded structures or cast parts, to forged components with enhanced grain flow. Additionally, material flow simulation facilitates the reduction of excess material, such as flash, allowing for completely flash-free forging (depending on the geometry), which saves both material and energy.

Forged components are often not only more robust and visually appealing (picture above), but also more cost-effective to produce. We assist in transitioning from assemblies, such as welded structures (right) or cast parts, to forged components (left) with enhanced grain flow.

Materials and Case Studies

Nickel (Ni) is used as an alloying element in steels to improve their toughness and ductility at low temperatures. From a nickel content of 9%, steels are considered cold-resistant and free from embrittlement. Besides steel, there are also other alloys with such properties (e.g., superalloys). Examples:

F316x – The standard chromium, nickel, and molybdenum stainless steel for cutlery, power plants, and cryogenics (10-13% Ni). Many sub-varieties with specific properties, such as: 1.4404, 1.4435, 1.4571 exist.

Monel®400 – A nickel-copper superalloy highly resistant to corrosion, particularly suitable for chemical applications, seawater, and high-temperature environments such as rocket engines (63% Ni)

Nitronic®, 1.3964, Alloy 50 – A non-magnetic chromium-nickel alloy (12.5% Ni) specifically for offshore and marine areas.

KB Schmiedetechnik GmbH holds certifications for both ISO_9001 and ISO_14001, along with various additional certifications for demanding sectors such as pressure equipment, nuclear power plants, and even five shipbuilding supplier certifications such as ABS, BV Marine & Offshore, ClassNK, DNV, and LR. Relevant documents can be downloaded from the company's website in the 'Quality' section.

At a glance

Pressure equipment and nuclear power (valves, boilers, piping):

PED 2014/68/EU, AD 2000-W0, ASME, KTA, RCC-M

Shipbuilding and ocean engineering

American Bureau of Shipping (ABS)

Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore

Det Norske Veritas (DNV)

Lloyds Register (LR)

Nippon Kaiji Kyōkai (ClassNK)

An articles by me on the stability of forged parts of steel (it is the grain flow):

Estampage, Matriçage et Usinage : Pièces forgées en tous types d'aciers et superalliages à base de nickel, produites en petites séries.

La Forge KB est située à Hagen (Westphalie), en Allemagne de l'Ouest, entre Solingen (la région historique des couteaux) et Dortmund (la ville du football), à deux heures de route des frontières belge et néerlandaise.

Pour découvrir les détails de la région, cliquez sur « ALT » sur la carte !

KB est spécialisée dans les pièces forgées pour équipements sous pression et ainsi que pour les applications maritimes, nucléaires et industrielles, certifiée selon des normes strictes.

Spécialisée dans le forgeage à chaud par estampage et matriçage en matrice fermée, KB fabrique des pièces forgées en petites séries à partir de matériaux de qualité européenne.

Schmiedetechnik [prononciation : Chmyd(e)technique] est le mot allemand pour désigner la technologie de forgeage. « Schmied » signifie « forgeron » en français.

L'entreprise fabrique des composants pesant entre 200 g et 130 kg par unité, avec une longueur maximale de 600 mm, dans toutes les nuances d'acier.

Température | Corrosion | Pression | Fragilisation

Cela inclut les aciers inoxydables tels que le F316L et le duplex, ainsi que les alliages à base de nickel, notamment les superalliages Monel®, Incoloy®, Inconel® et Hastelloy®, sans oublier le titane.

Profondeur de Fabrication

KB maîtrise en interne tous les processus : conception, ingénierie, simulation, fabrication d'outillages, forgeage, traitement thermique et trempe, ainsi que les essais destructifs en laboratoire, contrôle des fissures, usinage mécanique et contrôle dimensionnel.

Applications dans des Secteurs Critiques

Robinetterie industrielle, notamment des corps de vannes cryogéniques, hydrogéniques et nucléaires, des raccords et brides de tuyauterie pour la chaudronnerie et la construction navale, des ébauches d’engrenages, ainsi que des supports et crochets forgés, destinés également aux secteurs agricole, maritime et de la défense.

Toutes les productions sont conformes aux normes, standards et certifications suivants :

ISO 9001 et ISO 14001

Equipements sous pression et énergie nucléaire :

DESP 2014/68/UE, AD 2000-W0, ASME, KTA, RCC-M

Chaudronnerie : Alstom, Babcock, CNIM, MHPS

Construction navale et génie océanique :

American Bureau of Shipping (ABS)

Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore

Nippon Kaiji Kyōkai (ClassNK)

Det Norske Veritas (DNV)

Lloyd’s Register (LR)

Source (sous-marin): DCNS - Free Media Kit

Les certificats de qualité peuvent être téléchargés ici (en anglais) :

https://kb-schmiedetechnik.de/quality.html

Article Info

Un de mes articles sur le flux de grains et la stabilité des pièces forgées. « Fibrage » n'est pas le terme exact, mais il illustre bien le concept (EN: grain flow) !

Des photos, des textes complémentaires et des vidéos sont hébergés sur le site suisse suivant :

More short videos on 👉YouTube and photos on 👉Pinterest.

Every nut, bolt, and screw - Forgings for harsh environments.

KB Schmiedetechnik GmbH expertly manages all processes in-house, including CAD design, engineering, material flow and forging simulation, CAM tool manufacturing, forging, heat treatment and quenching, destructive testing and surface crack detection in own laboratory, CNC machining, and dimensional inspection.

Key Applications Across Critical Areas

Valve bodies and yokes for cryogenic, nuclear, and hydrogen applications; pipe fittings and specialty flanges for shipbuilding and boiler fabrication; pinion and gear blanks; forged supports, chain links and hooks; as well as applications in the agricultural, maritime, and defense applications.

Development of a forged valve body.

As a leader in the small-batch production of high-quality forgings in Germany, KB Schmiedetechnik GmbH serves a broad range of industries.

Closed-Die Forgings for Extreme Conditions

The company works with a variety of materials, including virtually all steel grades—carbon steels, high- and low-alloy steels, including AISI 316 and duplex stainless steels, as well as nickel-based superalloys such as Monel®, Incoloy®, Inconel®, and Hastelloy®, along with titanium.

Securing the drop-forge.com domain supports the company’s strategic vision to expand its global reach and underscores its dedication to quality and innovation.

For environmental aspects, please click on "ALT" in the image:

Eyebolts, Eyelets, Eye Nuts - For Your Trust!

Examples

Example: a socket for a tram wagon

Examples: forged hydraulic component, support and a forged eyelet.

Examples (l.t.r.): forged chain links, a forged support, and a forged hydraulic component.

Example: some forged pinion blanks (machined)

Example: threaded support hooks (forged)

YouTube channel with a few videos (mostly in German):